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Out of order snippet

Aliens? Invading aliens? What will Earth do? Well...we may have a few more resources than we first thought. Come join a friendly discussion about David Weber's newest Tor series - "Out of the Dark."
Out of order snippet
Post by runsforcelery   » Mon May 27, 2019 12:11 am

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Happy Memorial Day! :twisted:


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"I suppose that's possible," Ushakov said slowly. "I've never actually considered it, but Vlad did say — and it matches my own experience — that the very thought of being examined was enough to make him acutely uneasy. He couldn't define precisely why, although he certainly had any number of conscious reasons to avoid such an examination, and neither can I. My Dasha —" his eyes darkened briefly as he spoke the diminutive form of his murdered daughter's name "— was always afraid of needles, of being poked and prodded. But I never was. Until now, when it can't possibly hurt me. That does seem . . . odd, doesn't it?"

"That's one way to put it," Maighread agreed. "But what if that's because something deep inside you is . . . resisting exposure? Wouldn't that explain it?"

"It might," Ushakov acknowledged.

"But you said you can override the sensory cutout when it happens automatically," Maighread went on, brown eyes intent. "What if you tried that while Doctor MacMurdo tries to take a specimen?"

"You mean concentrate on the fact that I consciously wish for him to succeed?"

"Exactly!"

"I don't see where it could hurt," MacMurdo said with a shrug. "We've certainly tried everything else!"

"Very well," Ushakov said. He sat back, eyes closed, frowning faintly in concentration.

"Try now," he said in a slightly distant voice, and MacMurdo inserted the core needle again. He withdrew it, crossed back to the microscope, and slid the needle into the viewing receptacle. He looked up at the display, and smiled suddenly.

"Worked!" he said exuberantly. "At least this time we got something." He tapped a control, zooming the image even farther. "In fact, it looks like — Jesus Christ!"


"Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as Piglet came back from the dead.
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by Joat42   » Mon May 27, 2019 2:28 am

Joat42
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What? Did he find a photo of Buckley? :shock:

---
Jack of all trades and destructive tinkerer.


Anyone who have simple solutions for complex problems is a fool.
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by George J. Smith   » Mon May 27, 2019 4:03 am

George J. Smith
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You are a cruel man Mr Weber, leaving us hanging like that.

My interest is piqued even more though.
.
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A man should live forever, or die in the attempt
Spider Robinson Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1977) A voice is heard in Ramah
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by Rugdumph   » Mon May 27, 2019 1:12 pm

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Please, please, not midichlorians!
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by DrakBibliophile   » Mon May 27, 2019 3:29 pm

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Not midichlorians but likely nanotech. :twisted:

And no, the MWW hasn't told me anything. ;)

Rugdumph wrote:Please, please, not midichlorians!
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Sometimes The Dragon Wins! [Polite Dragon Smile]
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by Eagleeye   » Mon May 27, 2019 11:19 pm

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DrakBibliophile wrote:Not midichlorians but likely nanotech. :twisted:

And no, the MWW hasn't told me anything. ;)

Rugdumph wrote:Please, please, not midichlorians!


My 2 cents say, it's genetic - that a combination of genes has been activated (or deactivated, as the case may be) which produces (or blocks) some amino-acid(s) or so which is/are responsible for the changes. After all, where the hell should nanotech come from? Biochemical changes are much more probable, in my eyes at least.
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by Robert_A_Woodward   » Tue May 28, 2019 12:52 am

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DrakBibliophile wrote:Not midichlorians but likely nanotech. :twisted:

And no, the MWW hasn't told me anything. ;)



My hypothesis is that it is nanotech as well. However, who created it and where are they? Are there immortal survivors of a species which was put down (because the PTB viewed them as a threat?) who have spent the subsequent millennia looking for planets with intelligent species and upgrading a few members (as a sort of poison pill) for the PTB to break a few teeth on?
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by Rugdumph   » Tue May 28, 2019 3:32 am

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Yes, nanotech is the obvious answer, since it has to something visually and instantly distinctive under a microscope.

However, there is one very interesting coincidence: the Hegemony scouts observed the battle of Agincourt in 1415. Vlad Dracula dates from the early 1400s. Hmmm.
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by DrakBibliophile   » Tue May 28, 2019 9:25 am

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IMO Something genetic likely wouldn't be detected so quickly.

As for "where did the nanotech come from", that question is likely what everybody is asking (in the book).

Some of MWW hints implied that somebody was meddling on Earth.

Eagleeye wrote:
DrakBibliophile wrote:Not midichlorians but likely nanotech. :twisted:

And no, the MWW hasn't told me anything. ;)



My 2 cents say, it's genetic - that a combination of genes has been activated (or deactivated, as the case may be) which produces (or blocks) some amino-acid(s) or so which is/are responsible for the changes. After all, where the hell should nanotech come from? Biochemical changes are much more probable, in my eyes at least.
*
Paul Howard (Alias Drak Bibliophile)
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Sometimes The Dragon Wins! [Polite Dragon Smile]
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Re: Out of order snippet
Post by Joat42   » Tue May 28, 2019 10:16 am

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DrakBibliophile wrote:IMO Something genetic likely wouldn't be detected so quickly.

As for "where did the nanotech come from", that question is likely what everybody is asking (in the book).

Some of MWW hints implied that somebody was meddling on Earth.

He also said a lot more was going that was obvious.

Considering that the Shongairi was very surprised by the techlevel which was then confirmed in the ITL snippets when they dug through the database I wouldn't be surprised that the Hegemony-scouts are shadowed by a third party with an interest in undermining the Hegemony.

This make me think of 2 scenarios:
  1. The unknown 3rd party did some genetic tinkering to increase intelligence by releasing for example a retro-virus.
  2. The unknown 3rd party have had agents on Earth making sure we progress faster than expected.

Then we come to Vlad and the "Vampires", it's the other thing the 3rd party did - it's their variant of a super-soldier and Vlad is the human prototype. His powers doesn't necessarily need to be technological in origin.

Although, the most important and interesting question has little to do with humanity's technological progress or "vampires". The question is:

What is the goal of the 3rd party? Is it only to break the status quo of the Hegemony and it's grip on the galaxy or is this a prelude to a hostile takeover?

Either way, humanity is currently just a pawn in an intergalactic gambit and it is going to be interesting to see if humanity is still a pawn when the dust settles.

---
Jack of all trades and destructive tinkerer.


Anyone who have simple solutions for complex problems is a fool.
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